Torrential rains trigger deadly floods and landslides across Indonesia’s Sumatra

Torrential monsoon rains have unleashed widespread flooding and landslides across Indonesia’s Sumatra island, leaving at least 10 people dead and six missing, authorities said on Wednesday. Rescue efforts are under way in several remote and badly affected areas, though access remains severely restricted by damaged roads, unstable slopes and persistent bad weather.

According to the National Police, a week of relentless rainfall caused multiple rivers to overflow, sweeping through hilly settlements in six regencies of North Sumatra province. Entire stretches of villages were left caked in mud and debris after torrents of water carried rocks, trees and earth down the slopes.

Sibolga city has reported some of the most severe damage. Emergency teams recovered five bodies there, rescued three injured residents and are still searching for four people who remain missing. Landslides in the neighbouring Central Tapanuli district destroyed several homes, killing a family of four, while nearly 2,000 houses and buildings were inundated by rising floodwaters.

In South Tapanuli, collapsing trees triggered by the landslides killed one person and injured another. A bridge in Mandailing Natal district was washed away, and about 470 homes were submerged. On Nias island, a major road has been rendered impassable after being smothered by thick mud and debris.

Videos circulating online show water cascading off rooftops as residents flee, with powerful flash floods turning streets into torrents carrying logs and rubble.

Sibolga police chief Eddy Inganta said temporary shelters have been opened and urged people in vulnerable zones to evacuate immediately. “Bad weather and mudslides have hampered rescue operations,” he said. “Access is still limited as teams face harsh conditions on the ground.” He added that six landslides in the city alone have flattened 17 houses and a café.

The disaster struck on the same day Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency announced the end of a 10-day rescue mission in two districts of Central Java, where earlier landslides triggered by intense rainfall had killed 38 people. Search operations in Cilacap and Banjarnegara were called off due to unstable terrain and ongoing safety risks, with several victims still unaccounted for.

Indonesia faces frequent floods and landslides during the annual rainy season from October to March, as millions of people live on steep terrain or in fertile floodplains highly vulnerable to extreme weather.

With PTI Inputs